Poisoned For Study
by ReadsForLife
Summary: Anakin Skywalker is on a mission with his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, when she is attacked. With their numbers dwindling, can what's left of the squad get to safety or will Dooku find them first?
1. Ambush

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters. **

**A/N: This is my first FanFiction Story. I've always enjoyed reading others posts, but decided to try my own. I appreciate reviews and any new ideas I can add are gladly appreciated!**

-setting- In a battle on a forest planet, Anakin and his Padawan are fending off droids while they wait for backup from the Republic. With the few clones they have left, they desperately attempt to hold off the droids until help arrives.

Ahsoka's POV

"Ahsoka! I'll destract them. Go flank around the tanks and attack from behind!" Anakin shouts as he and his Padawan fend off swarms of droids.

"Master, there's too many! We need to fall back before they get to the shields," Ahsoka yells as she takes out two clankers. Anakin uses the force to propel himself onto a spider droid. He cuts of two of the droids legs and jumps back near Ahsoka. They both block the enemy fire to protect the clones behind them.

"You need to listen, Snips. Go attack the tanks or we won't win this battle."

Ahsoka groans under her breathe, but still takes off into the forest, blocking shots from blasters along her way. When she reaches the forest edge, she force propels herself into a tree and looks out onto the battlefield.

To her right is the tank which is dropping more droids onto the war zone. That's her target. To her left is the troops. Anakin's still holding his ground against the droid army, fighting with Rex at his side. Clones were slowly being wiped out, but Anakin still held his ground. Ahsoka looked back toward the tank and started moving again.

The trees were close enough that she could run along the long branches. When she was closer to the tank she stopped before jumping off the tree.

"Ahsoka. Ahsoka, are you there?" Her comm beeps with Anakins voice. "Did you make it to the tank?"

"Yeah. I made it," she responds. "I'm going in now."

"Be careful Snips, but be quick."

Ahsoka jumps from the tree, then creeps behind bushes toward the tank. A droid is blocking her way so she uses the force to pull him in the bush and disable him with her lightsaber. She is so close to the tank, only it keeps dropping droids, so immobilizing it won't be easy. The back of the tank is unguarded, but there are no entrances. She'll have to sneak in the front.

Ahsoka creeps around to the front of the tank. When it opens to release more droids, she slips in through the door. The tank is a lot larger than it looked from the outside. She sneaks into a hallway to find the control center, but stops when she hears someone coming.

"Dooku wants us to wipe out their shields before we collect the substance," someone explains.

Ahsoka recognizes the voice, but she can't pin it. She continues to listen.

"— almost have it all. We need to —"

Ahsoka gasps as someone grabs her wrist. She reaches for her lightsabers while she spins around, but they aren't there. A small alien creature which Ahsoka had never seen before pulled her aside then put a finger to its mouth. She froze, unsure whether to attack or not. She was about to listen to it when she noticed it holding her lightsabers behind its back. Before Ahsoka could act, the creature knew she didn't trust it and it stabbed her arm with a syringe.

Ahsoka quickly used the force to push the creature back and grab her lightsabers. The creature was knocked out by the impact of hitting the wall. Ahsoka felt dizzy, but she knew she had to take out the tank. She ran down the hall, no longer trying to be stealthy, taking out droids along her way.

When she finally reached the control room, the droids closed the room's blast door. Ahsoka felt dizzy again, but this time it was worse. Her vision went blurry and she leaned onto the wall for support.

Anakin's POV

"Rex! Tell the men to hold their ground. We have to hold out until Ahsoka can stop the tank," Anakin shouts.

"Yes Sir! Hang tight men. Shouldn't be long now," Rex explains over his comms.

Anakin, Rex, and the rest of the clones continue taking out droids. Their numbers have dropped drastically. Anakin struggles to hold off the numerous amount of droids and slowly starts to move back. The clones move with him as well as if they are all in sync.

"Where is she?!" Anakin shouts just before he sees the tank explode in the distance.

"She's done it. Good job Snips," Anakin says.

"A little longer men!" Rex calls out.

The droids are all destroyed a few minutes later. With the tank taken out, the troops had an advantage.

"Ahsoka. Come in. Ahsoka. Are you there?" Anakin says into his comms while he retracts his lightsaber.

A few seconds later, with no answer, Anakin is about to call Ahsoka again when there is movement in the bushes. Rex and his men point their blasters at the sound and Anakin grabs his lightsaber. The blue from it shines in the evening.

"Hold your fire," Rex states to his men.

Ahsoka's POV

Ahsoka's almost back to her master. Stumbling as she walks through the woods. Each of her breaths is more like a wheeze and her body aches with every step, but she is pushing through. For her master. And for herself.

She reaches a bush beneath the tree she was scouting her surroundings in, but She stumbles. Ahsoka catches herself just before she falls and she stands back up again. _Almost there_. She tells herself. Then, she hears a lightsaber ignite.

Stumbling out of the woods, she sees her master and the clones with their weapons trained on her. Once they see it's Ahsoka, they drop their weapons and Anakin walks up to her.

"I knew you could do it Snips!" he says. "I told you we could beat 'em. Have a little faith next time."

Ahsoka gets dizzy again. She can barely stand anymore. She's happy she made it back, but she knows she needs help.

"M-master," Ahsoka mutters. She can barely speak. "D-didn't win. Not, not y-yet." Ahsoka's eyes roll back. She blacks out, falling into a dark sleep.

Anakin's POV

"Ahsoka!" Anakin screams, catching his Padawan before she hits the ground. "Rex! Get a medic over here now!She's burning up." A clone runs up to the Jedi with a stretcher, then gently placed Ahsoka on it.

"Do you know what happened?" The clone asks.

"No. She took out the tank. When she came back she said we didn't win this battle yet. Something's wrong," Anakin explains. He starts to let his anger get ahold of him for a moment.

"General," Rex says. "Communications are down. I fear the youngling was right. This isn't over. Hopper, Skip, get to the ship. See if you can contact help from there."

Anakin stands up, thinking of alternate possibilities. What could the Federation have to gain by staying on this planet? He turns to look at his troop. Now dwindling in numbers.

The medic is checking over Ahsoka. Rex is trying to figure out communications with a few others. Two clones are walking toward the ship in the distance to contact for help. And the last of the clones are setting up a perimeter. Anakin is trying to figure out what to do next when an explosion snaps him out of his thoughts.

"Everybody get down!" A clone shouts.

Anakin grabs his lightsaber and takes a protective stance near Ahsoka. In the distance, Anakin can see their ship, up in flames.

"Hopper? Come in," Rex speaks into his comms. "Skip? Come in," he turns to Anakin. "No response sir."

"We need to find shelter, fast. They are jamming our comms and they took out our transport. Their next step is to come for us. As much as I hate to say it, we need to move and regroup," Anakin says, looking at Ahsoka's unmoving body with worry.

Dooku's POV

"Have they found the subject?" Count Dooku asks a droid. Dooku is on a Trade Federation starship, orbiting the planet Onderon.

"No sir. They took out our tanks. We are about to send more troops to find the subject." A droid replies.

"Take out their communications first, then aim the cannons at their ship. If the subject can't leave, we should have no trouble finding it," Dooku explains.

"Yes sir!"

The droids salute Dooku as he pulls up his hood and walks out of the bridge. The steel doors closing harshly behind him.

Ahsoka's POV

Ahsoka has been in and out of consciousness since she passed out. Pain shoots through her bones even though she isn't moving. At least, she doesn't think she is. Her skin feels like pins and needles, her head is pounding, and she can't open her eyes. She tries to speak, but no sound escapes her mouth.

Anakin's POV

Rex and Anakin are carrying the stretcher that Ahsoka lay on. Droids invaded the open field after the ship exploded. Four clones stayed back to provide cover for the others to get to safety and the medic was taken out in the attack. Only the Jedi, Rex, Matchstick, and Kop remain. Each clone holds their position behind the stretcher, watching for droids that may have followed.

The terrain is turning rough and the forest is changing into mountains. Carrying Ahsoka is becoming harder and harder. Anakin can feel her pain through the force.

"Let's set her down here," Anakin says. He and Rex lower the stretcher next to a cave opening. It's not to far up the mountain and is mostly concealed by vines. "I'll check out the cave. Please, watch her." Anakin takes another look at his injured Padawan before he pushes the vines aside and enters.

Using his lightsaber as light, Anakin goes further into the cave. It doesn't take long for him to find a dead end. He looks around once more to be sure there is only one entrance, then he goes back to Rex.

"Is there anything new in her condition?" Anakin asks as he exits the cave.

"She's in a lot of pain sir and I can't figure out the source," Rex replies. "Is the cave secure?"

"This is the only way in," Anakin explains. "Let's move her in and get settled. I have a feeling we are going to be here a while."

Anakin and Rex grab the stretcher once more and move Ahsoka into the cave. The clones head into the forest to gather wood. Once inside, they move into the very back. The farther back, the less the chance of their fire being seen.

They set down the stretcher and Rex goes to the opposite wall and sits on a boulder. He rests his head against the old cavern wall.

"What next?" He asks.

Anakin takes a seat next to Ahsoka. He feels her uncomfort. In an attempt to take away her pain, he sends out a wave of the force. It's an old Jedi trick used in the healing process. Take away their pain and they heal faster. Anakin can feel her relax, she can feel his presence through the force, which brings her peace.

Ahsoka's POV

Trapped inside herself, she tries to communicate to her master the truth. It was all a trap. She hasn't figured out why yet, but she knows who is behind it. After what feels like hours of trying, Ahsoka finally gathers strength to open her eyes.

She looks around to see someone beside her and a few clones along the rock wall. It's dark, but there is a little light coming from a fire. She realized she is laying on a cloth stretcher and she's covered with a pelt. Her head pounds as her eyes adjust to the dim light.

"Master?" Ahsoka asks. Anakin's eyes shoot open. He's shocked to hear her voice.

"Ahsoka," he says. "I'm so sorry. I never should have sent you alone. It was a trap. It was all a trap and I should have known."

Ahsoka closes her eyes then slowly reaches out for her master's hand. "Tell me what happened." She struggles to get the words out of her mouth. Anakin eased some of her pain, but she still feels as though her bones are broken.

"As soon as we had the upper hand they jammed our comms and blew up our ship. More droids came and wiped out the rest of the clones," he explains. "We never stood a chance."

"Trap," she repeats. The word is bitter when it rolls off her tongue. Tears begin to fill her eyes as she speaks. Talking makes the pain worse, but she can't lie to her master. "I hesitated," she cries.

"You did it. You took out the tank."

Ahsoka shakes her head. "Dooku." Is the only thing she can say before she passes out again in agony. Anakin clenches his fists. Only a Sith Lord could do this to a child. Ahsoka is like a sister to him and he can feel every bit of her pain.

"Watch her Rex. Matchstick, Kop, you're with me. We're going to find Dooku."

**A/N: Sorry for the long chapter. This story was meant to be (I think it's called a one shot?), but I got a little carried away lol. I do plan on making another chapter though because I hate leaving everyone with a cliffhanger. **


	2. Visions

**A/N: I had writers block for a bit on this chapter so it wasn't posted as soon as I wanted it to be. I feel like Anakin can be such a tricky character to write about because he cares for Ahsoka so much. Feel free to leave some honest reviews. Anyway, here it goes!**

Rex's POV

It took everything Rex knew about healing to keep Ahsoka alive. Even though he was trained in medicine, he wasn't nearly as good as the medic was. It didn't help that most of the supplies were destroyed when the ship blew up, including the med kit. Rex decided to take inventory of what was left while keeping watch of Ahsoka. There wasn't much in his pack, but it kept him busy. General Skywalker had taken the other pack, which contained roughly the same things. A few rations, a canteen, a Jedi robe, and detonators. None of which would help the injured youngling.

Ahsoka's head started jerking from side to side, quickly catching the attention of Rex. He rushed to her side and noticed how vulnerable she was in this state. Pulling off one of his gloves, he put a hand on her forehead, and realized she was burning up. Ahsoka was in a lot of pain, but he didn't know why.

Rex needed to stop her fever before it got any worse. He suddenly remembered her robe from when he took inventory. Anakin had taken his own robe with him when he left. Rex grabbed the cloak and tore off some of the fabric. Then, he grabbed the canteen. After dumping the cool water on the torn cloth, he folded it, and placed it on Ahsoka's forehead. It wasn't much, but it would have to do for now.

Anakin's POV

"Let's stop here," Anakin said to the clones, who crouched down to fill their canteens.

They were next to a small stream. The water so clear you could see the stones resting at the bottom. They seemed to sparkle under the moonlight, glimmering throughout the water. Under different circumstances, Anakin would have taken notice to the beauty around him. They had already passed the ship, checking it for any usable form of communication. The clearing they had battled in was still littered with fallen clones and droids.

Anakin sat next to a tree by the stream. He gently rested his head against the rough bark and closed his eyes as the clones ate some military rations. It was late. He was leading the clones farther away from the shelter of the cave, he had no plan for what to do if he found Count Dooku, and they needed to get Ahsoka back to Coruscant before she got any worse.

"General. I don't mean to interrupt, but what is the plan here?" Kop asked. Anakin slowly opened his eyes to the question. Kop was sitting near him, his meal nearly finished. _What is the plan? Anakin thought to himself. "General?" He asked again. _

"We need to get to a ship so we can send out a signal. We'll be dead if the Separatists find us before we contact the Republic for help. The Jedi Council should know that something has happened by now because we never gave our mission report," Anakin explains. "But it's important we don't attract too much attention or we'll never make it off this damn orb."

As Anakin started to stand, he felt a wave of pain through the force, and put a hand to his head. He couldn't ease Ahsoka's discomfort from a distance, but he could still feel it. Anakin was her only hope at surviving, so they needed to get moving. _May the force be with you_, he thought as they started off again.

Rex's POV

Ahsoka's fever hasn't changed since it started, but Rex still made sure to keep a cool cloth on her forehead anyways. It had been at least eight hours since she first passed out and her symptoms didn't make any sense. _Maybe she is allergic to something on this planet's surface, _Rex theorized. _What else could cause symptoms like this?_

Ahsoka started to stir again so Rex prepared himself to ask her questions. If she could gather to strength to tell him what happened, maybe he could help her.

"Commander Tano. Can you hear me?" He put a hand on her shoulder as he asked her.

Ahsoka opened her eyes to his words. She looked distressed. Quickly she sat up, wincing because of the quick movement. Rex moved farther from her to give her space and he was taken aback at the way she looked. Her eyes were bloodshot, her orange skin was pale, and the stripes on her lekku were faded. Ahsoka called her lightsaber to her hand and activated it, holding it in a defensive position in front of her.

"Get away from me!" She shouted at Rex. Her voice trembled at the use of each word.

"Calm down Commander. Everything's fine. You're safe," Rex assured her.

Ahsoka still firmly held her lightsaber in front of her. She looked around the cave and panic washed over her face.

"What did you do to him?" Snarled Ahsoka. She slowly lifted her hand and Rex felt himself struggling to breathe. Slowly, he was being lifted into the air, gasping for breath and clawing at his neck, but it was no use. "Where is my master?!" Ahsoka shouted.

"Commander. St-stop," Rex could barely speak.

"Don't try to reason with me, Ventress! I won't fall for your tricks," snapped Ahsoka.

Ahsoka POV

She needed to find Anakin and Ventress would tell her where he was, Ahsoka just had to make her talk. Slowly, she tightened her grip through the force until

Ventress went limp. After letting the her drop, Ahsoka looked away from the unconscious body. She had gone too far; torture was not the Jedi way.

Ahsoka turned off her lightsaber and leaned her head back on the cavern wall, closing her eyes. Sitting up hurt, but using the force was like fire through her veins. _How did Ventress get in here? Where was Anakin and the rest of the clones?, _thought Ahsoka.

The sound of the fire crackling snapped Ahsoka out of her thoughts and she opened her eyes. She held her arm over her stomach and slowly stood up, using the cavern wall for support. Everything in her sight was blurry and misplaced. Probably an affect from whatever she was injected with. However, the entrance to the cave was still visible, despite the dark and Ahsoka's vision. She cautiously moved her way away from the fire and into the woods. She needed to find out what happened to her and her master.

**A/N: WOW that was not an easy chapter to write. It's a little bit shorter than the last one, but hopefully just as enjoyable. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible!**


	3. Kato

**A/N: I'm super excited to be working on this again, but I feel like I'm running out of ideas. I only had a starter idea for this story so help is appreciated!**

Anakin POV

Matchstick, Kop, and Skywalker are crouched behind a hoverpod on the edge of a small Separatist base. Anakin points to a G-9 Rigger Freighter not too far from where they hide.

"There," Anakin explains to the clones. "That's our new ship."

"What's the plan General?" Kop asks.

"I'll cause a distraction while you and Matchstick take the ship. Pick me up on the far side of the base."

"Yes sir," the clones say in unison.

Anakin sneaks around the hoverpod with a tight grip on his lightsaber. He needs to bring the droids far enough away from the ship for the clones to take it over. On the way to the far side of the base, Anakin ignites his lightsaber, which draws the attention of the droids. Immediately, he starts blocking heavy blaster fire from the clankers. In the distance he sees the clones sneak closer to the freighter. After what feels like hours of defending himself from blaster fire, the ship that the clones took over rises into the air.

"Finally," Anakin exclaims. He quickly runs to the rendezvous point and the ship blasts the droids. He arrives just as the ship pulls overhead and lowers the cargo hold. Anakin force jumps into the ship and they take off towards the cave, and Ahsoka.

Ahsoka POV

Stumbling through the woods, Ahsoka's vision starts to get blurry. Her body was slowly shutting down. "M-master," she mutters. "Help m-me." Feet dragging, vision blurred, and body aching, Ahsoka trips and grabs onto a tree before she falls. A tear escapes her eye as crumples to the ground and screams, unaware of her master flying in the ship right above her.

Dooku POV

A droid walks up to Count Dooku to give a report.

"Sir, the subject seems to have escaped," the droid explains.

Angrily, Dooku ignite his lightsaber and turns around, taking the head off of the droid that gave the report. "Find me that Jedi or everything we've worked towards will fail," Dooku lowers his lightsaber and turns on his hologram to speak to Kato, a scientist whose been using the planet's resources to make a neurological poison.

"Where are we on creating an airborn virus?" Count Dooku asks.

Kato responded sheepishly, "I could work much faster sir if I had the proper subject. We don't have anymore of the solution to inject another participent."

"Silence!" Dooku shouts. The droids in the ship turn to look before going back to work. "I don't want excuses, I want progress! I'll find you the Jedi, but until I do, make me my virus!"

Kato bows his head silently as Dooku turns of the hologram. Count Dooku walks to the front of the Starship's bridge and stares at the planet Onderon.

"If the droids can't find that Jedi I will find her myself," Dooku says as he leaves the bridge to make his way to the planet's surface.

**A/N: Super sorry about the short chapter, but I needed an update. I am totally open to ideas for the next chapter because I'm starting to his some major writers block. Also, should I bring the story to a close or have a character be captured? Thanks for reading!**


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